June 2nd we left Sleeping Giant for Aaron Provincial Park. Aaron is right on Hwy 17 and is 15 minutes east of the city of Dryden and we’re camping there until the 4th. The drive to it was nicer than our drive to the previous park. It was overcast but dry. The highway was good and the hills not nearly as steep. As we noticed earlier, the trees, rock, landscape is different than further south and east. There were several stretches of roadside forests that had been clear cut. The mess left behind is quite an eyesore. One of the areas had shown signs of debris/branch clearing being done, there were dozens of piles of small trees and branches.
Logging to the roadside
The traffic was a little heavier than earlier drives. Most seemed to be laden logging trucks. The visible portions of the lakes we passed were smaller. There were dozens of moose and deer signs and we saw one of each standing in the ditch. Along our way we crossed a Time Zone and Jenn corrected our watches. We stopped for lunch (Subway) and gas when the tank reached 1/2. Gas prices since Sudbury have been $1.18 to $1.21/litre, here was no different. Our camera processor gave up the ghost so I bought a new one in Thunder Bay. It’s a Nikon B500. So far we seem to like it. Not too much different from the 10-year old dead Canon S1. Jennifer took lots and lots of photos of anything and everything as we drove to get use to it.
Pulling into Aaron Provincial Park we noticed the sign warning there was no potable water in the park. The water system was up and running but the Health Department posted signs warning not to use it. After pressing the 8 buttons to set up camp, I drove into to Dryden to buy a couple 5 gal bottles of water for us to use. Our trailer hold 50 gal of fresh water. We didn’t want to hook up the trailer to the water service as it meant having to re-sanitize the plumbing and tank. If the water is from the lake it means requiring special filters that trap the cysts. If it’s untreated it pollutes the tank. So, no onboard water. We don’t use our fresh water tank for drinking, just washing and the toilet, as I don’t trust the plumbing system to be that clean especially with having anti-freeze in it each winter. We carry containers strictly for potable water used for cooking and drinking, well making ice really. It was an inconvenience but really not much of an impact.
The park is on Thunder Lake, has a small beach and a good boat ramp and fish cleaning hut. There are showers, new outhouse/vault toilets, a playground, and a small stage with seating. The stage backdrop in painted white and it faces a tall building standing behind the benches. It houses the movie projector. That’s cool. We walked the park, kayaked the lake, and tried fishing. We need fishing lessons. No one else on the water seemed to be having luck catching anything either. Jennifer had brought our copy of this year’s Farmer’s Almanac. It listed this weekend as poor for fishing, but better starting the 6th so I don’t feel so bad. It is a nice relaxing way to spend some quiet time. Thunder Lake is quite big yet the day we kayaked it was like glass. Even with the rain the eventually fell the wind was not much more than a breath.
Thunder Lake, Ontario
It’s still spring here as it is cool at night, the bugs haven’t come out yet, and the leaves have just sprouted. The last evening of our stay a thunder storm rolled through. Not a lot of rain but great hearing the thunder echo on the lake and hills. It’s a nice little park that is close to Dryden and its supply stores and is worth another visit.